1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to power regulation and, more particularly, to monitoring and controlling the operation of electrical loads.
2. Description of the Related Art
Energy monitoring and control systems are widely used to provide centralized monitoring and control of an electrical load in an electrical system. The electrical load can be of many different types, such as heating, cooling, appliances and lighting devices. It is desirable to monitor and control the electrical load to monitor and control the energy usage by the electrical load. More information regarding such systems and electrical loads is provided in the Backgrounds of the above-identified related applications. Other references to note include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,521,838, 5,563,455, 5,880,677, 5,978,569 and 7,379,997, as well as U.S. Patent Application Nos. 20060120008 and 20080031026.
Control systems are available for controlling household appliances from a central location. Some of these control systems use a power line modem, which is a transmitter/receiver capable of operating over conventional AC 120/240 volt (V) power lines. Examples of these types of control systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,174,517 and 4,418,333. In some of these control systems, a control unit is programmed to control a desired function within various electrical loads depending upon the time of day. For example, the control unit can control the operation of a lighting device and/or appliance. However, it is desirable to provide a way to control the operation of an electrical load, and to monitor the energy usage of the electrical load.